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Nen
Nen '(念, ''Nen; Literally Meaning "Mind Force") is a technique that allows a living being to use and manipulate their own life energy (known as '''aura). Aura is not that different from the normal senses. However, most beings do not notice it or fail to awaken it. Properties of Nen Aura is the life energy produced by all living bodies vital for survival. Aura from all parts of the body has a tendency to flow together, producing one mass of energy. This happens without the individual's awareness, typically resulting in a slow leak of aura continually escaping the body. If one were to lose their entire aura, it would be equivalent to using up all the energy keeping them alive, which would be fatal. The pores or points on the body from which aura flows out from are called "Aura Nodes (精孔, しょうこう, Shōkō)." Controlling those nodes is the first step to being a user of Nen. The technique has the ability to enhance the strength of physical attacks or objects depending on the quantity of aura employed and an individual's aura type, as well as allows for para-psychological abilities to exist in reality. Because one can craft just about any sort of psychic power through only using their mind, Nen is also a dangerous power unknown to the public at large. Users of Nen are commonly referred to as as Psychics. Learning Nen A student learning Nen trains to manually open and close their aura nodes so that they can control the flow of their aura. One typically learns this process slowly and gradually through meditation. The second method (colloquially called Initiation or Baptism) is by having one receiving an influx of aura from an experienced user that forces these nodes to open; despite how quickly it works, the method is typically frowned upon due to its danger to the student if the user is inexperienced or has malicious intent. Initiation via physically attacking another with the use of an enhanced aura typically causes permanent disability or death. There is, however, a way to initiate that is less harmful to the student's body — depending on gently jolting open one's nodes forces the new user to learn to control their aura flow, else risk suffering severe exhaustion or death. Once one has opened their aura nodes, they will be able to see his own aura as a shroud surrounding the body due to his nodes in their eyes being opened. It is possible to feel the presence of aura even without being aware of its existence. Since every living being emits aura subconsciously, learning to sense aura is a useful skill for those tracking living things or hunting non-living things infused with aura. An experienced user of Nen can judge the location and relative strength of his opponents through reading the output of their aura. Vows & Limitations Being a product of the mind, Nen responds to the goals, strengths, and desires of individual users. As a result, a student of Nen can increase the overall power of an individual skill by stating a self-imposed restriction that forces even more conditions on it. For example, if one consciously decides something along the lines of "I will only use this skill on Thursdays" or "I will only use this skill against short people" and manages to abide by that rule, that particular skill will become stronger. These conditions are called "Vows" (制約, Seiyaku) or "Contracts". The stricter the Vow, the more one's own ability is strengthened. It is also implied that Vows that carry great meaning or are tied to emotional states also bring about a greater benefit. However, Vows are also considered liabilities, since breaking a Vow carries the risk of completely obliterating one's own Nen abilities Vows that contain some sort of punishment (e.g. "I will die if I break this rule") will strengthen the ability even further. These are called "Limitations" (誓約, Seiyaku) or penalties—covenants to oneself. Four Major Principles In order to fully grasp Nen, one must first learn the Four Major Principles of the Shingen-Ryu school of Kung-fu. Everything else, including a practitioner of Nen's individual skills, is based on the basic manipulations of one's aura flow. The Four Major Principles, in order of study, are: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu Ten Once a person has had their aura nodes opened, they must learn to keep their aura from leaking away from their body. Envelop (纏, Ten; Shroud) is the process of keeping the nodes open, but also having aura flow through and around the body rather than away from it. Once maintained, it creates a shroud around the user. Having a shroud of aura surround the body is the most basic defense against the emotional attacks from other users of Nen, however, it can't defend against Nen physical attacks.Ten maintains youthful vigor and reduces one's aging; since the energy powering the body no longer leaks away, one can keep the body from breaking down and deter the aging process. Through frequent meditation, one can improve the quality of their Ten. Zetsu While Ten allows a user to keep aura from leaking away from their body, Suppress'' (絕, ''Zetsu; Literally meaning "Null") stops the flow of aura from their body altogether. By closing all of their aura nodes, the user is able to stop almost all outflow of their aura like water from a valve. Since the user is no longer surrounded by their own aura, they are more sensitive to the aura of others. This can be useful when tracking another person and it will also prevent other users of Nen from noticing them. Zetsu can also be used to relieve fatigue, since it forces the body's external layer of aura to be fully contained within. However, since Zetsu involves shutting off one's aura, it can be dangerous due to it leaving the body defenseless against any aura attack. Even a weak attack enhanced with Nen could do massive damage. Ren Refine (練, Ren; Literally meaning Enhance) is a direct application of Ten. Since a user is capable of keeping aura from leaking away from the body, it's also possible for them to produce more aura around themselves without having to worry about losing it. Ren focuses on outputting a high amount of aura and keeping it on the body, expanding the size and intensity of it. If Ten is considered to be purely defensive, then Ren typically what is used for offense. This increases the user's physical strength and durability and provides a large pool of aura for any advanced techniques or individual skills they decide to use. Hatsu Release (發, Hatsu; Act) is the release or transmission of one's aura so it can be projected to carry out a certain function. In essence, Hatsu is one's personal expression of Nen that creates a special and unique paranormal ability (colloquially called a Nen Ability). A good Hatsu should reflect a person's own character; one can never truly master Nen if they only copy other people's abilities. Nen Individuality There are six types of aura; every individual is born having one of these six different aura types. Upon learning one's own aura type, a student of Nen can set about learning to apply the technique in a unique way that suits their personality, which can develop into a unique skill. There are numerical approximations given by the manga to indicate just exactly how efficient one would be at using aura abilities that one is not born into. Starting at one's own aura type, one has the potential to be 100% efficient at using abilities based in that category alone. Then looking at the category chart (see right), one has the potential to be 80% efficient at using aura types adjacent to one's primary type, 40% efficient at the opposite or farthest category, and 60% efficient in the two remaining categories. Specialization is typically unusable for non-Specialists because it is impossible to partially use; one either can or cannot use Specialist abilities. However, Conjurers and Manipulators have 1% efficiency potential for Specialization due to being adjacent to it. Aura Types Enhancement Enhancement is the ability to use aura to increase the natural abilities of an object or one's own body.3 Therefore, Enhancers are able to greatly increase their physical attack and defense and are best suited for close-ranged melee combat. Enhancement is the most balanced category, allowing users to spread themselves evenly between offense and defense and become very strong using only simple abilities. One of the examples of more complex Enhancement abilities include enhancing one's healing factor. Transmutation An affinity for Transmutation means a person can change the properties of their aura to mimic something else. Similar to Emission, things created via Transmutation are pure aura. Transmutation is often mistaken with Conjuration due to their similarities. A simple way of thinking about it would be that Transmutation allows your aura to mimic properties of a substance, whereas Conjuration allows you to change your aura into actual substances. Transmuters can copy the properties of real things. Transmuted substances are invisible to people unaware of the existence of Nen, and even to see transmuted aura, for a person well known to Nen, will require Gyo, or focusing the majority of Ren on one's eyes. Transmuters can also give their aura properties that don't necessarily mimic real things. Conjuration Conjuration is the ability to create a physical, independent, material object out of one's aura. Once a person has mastered the conjuration of a certain object, they can conjure it and dispel it in an instant, whenever they want. Conjuration is the only way in which Nen can create things that ordinary people (unaware of Nen) can see and touch. Furthermore, objects or entities created by this technique have a subtle "independence" to them. This means that they can continue existing even if they were at a considerable distance from the Conjurer, or even if the Conjurer themselves are not aware that they have yet to be de-materialized. However the use of In can hide an object materialized from aura from experienced users of Nen. Conjured objects can have special abilities imbued into them. Similar to Manipulation, Conjuration abilities tend to be very specific, complex, and conditional. Conditions can be imbued into conjured objects to make them stronger. Emission An affinity for Emission means that a user is capable of controlling the deployment of their aura while separating it from their body. Aura usually decreases in intensity very quickly when it is separated from the source body, but strong Emitters can separate their aura from their body for long-periods of time and still be able to maintain it. Manipulation Abilities belonging to Manipulators allow the user to control living or non-living things in a certain way, the main advantage being able to 'manipulate' enemies. The degree of control is principally determined by a condition that usually puts the manipulator at risk (attaching objects on the enemy, touching the enemy in a certain way) and of course the larger the risk, the better the degree of control. Advanced Techniques After learning the basics, any skilled user of Nen will learn to utilize these advanced techniques. Most of them are achieved by using a combination of the basics. Most Nen users learn Ten, Zetsu, and Ren first before attempting these techniques. The Hatsu, being a Nen-user's individual skill, is often something that a Nen-user will develop gradually over a long period of time. * Gyo (凝, Focus); Literally is an advanced application of Ren by which a Nen-user concentrates a larger than normal portion of their aura into one specific body part. Gyo increases the strength of that one body part, but leaves the rest of the body more vulnerable. ** Hohō '''(歩法, ''Hohō; ''Literally meaning "Step Method") by using Gyo on the soles of the user's feet, a person is capable performing supernatural feats including walking on water, levitating and moving at incredible speed. *** '''Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps) is a Hohō technique, which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. he focal point which determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main factor of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move; users of little skill in the technique or those who have not used it for an extended period of time would obviously be out of practice, causing them to be considerably slower, which requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become winded in a shorter amount of time. * In (隱, Conceal) is an advanced form of Zetsu used to almost completely conceal one's aura. However, unlike Zetsu, In allows the user to release their aura while hiding it. In can be countered by using Gyo in the eyes or through the use of En. * En '(圓, Circle) is an advanced application of ''Ren and Ten. In Ren, aura usually envelops only a small amount of space around the user's body. En is when one extends their Ren''so that their aura extends further than normal, then uses ''Ten at the same time to give shape to the aura, usually a sphere. Someone using En can feel the shape and movement of anything entering their circle. The downside to this is that it is extremely tiring and draining for the Nen-user to constantly deploy so much aura. * '''Shu (周, Enfold) is an advanced application of Ten. Shu allows a user of Nen to extend their aura's envelopment onto an object, allowing them to use that object as if it were an extension of their own body. For example, one could use Shu to extend their Ten around an object, which would strengthen and protect the object like the way Ren strengthens and protects their body. * Ken (堅, Fortify) is the advanced version of the basic Ren technique. Ken is a defensive technique where a Nen-user maintains a state of Gyo ''over their entire body, allowing them to defend against attacks from any direction without the need to use ''Ryu. Ken is useful as a defensive position, but is tiring to maintain. Additionally, it is not as strong as Gyo on any given part of the body, since it protects the whole body evenly. Because of that, it is used to guard when one wants to be cautious. * Ko (硬, Temper) is an enhanced version of Gyo in which all of an individual's aura is concentrated into one particular body part. Zetsu is used to completely stop the flow of Nen in all other parts of the body. This makes that one body part exceptionally powerful, but leaves the rest of the body completely unprotected. This is used by some Nen-users as an offensive technique (a Ko-punch would carry all 100% of your aura with it), but it is a risky move — leaving the rest of one's body unprotected in a fight against another Nen-user is generally not a good idea. * Ryu (流, Flow) is the term for real-time use of Gyo (the adjustment of aura concentration in various body parts) by a Nen-user in battle. For example, the use of Gyo to increase the amount of Nen in a fist as one strikes with it, to increase damage done; or to increase the amount of Nen in an arm as it is used to block a blow, for extra defense. Category:Universe (Nexus RP)